by Senator Dianne Feinstein announced Tuesday that she will not run for re-election in 2024, paving the way for a younger generation of leaders.
Feinstein, 89, will remain in office until the end of his term at the end of next year. Democratic Representatives. Katie Porter It is Adam Schiff already announced they would run for her office before she officially announced her retirement, and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said she would support Schiff if Feinstein retired.
“I am announcing today that I will not run for re-election in 2024, but I intend to accomplish as much as I can for California through the end of next year when my term ends,” Feinstein said in a statement on Tuesday.
Feinstein said she remains focused on preventing and fighting wildfires, tackling droughts, responding to the homelessness crisis, ensuring access to healthcare and combating gun violence.
Feinstein, who served California in the US Senate for three decades, was recently re-elected in 2018. She is the oldest current US senator and the longest serving senator in US history.
Photographer: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives,” said Feinstein. “Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 30 years and that’s what I intend to do for the next two years. My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”
Feinstein’s retirement announcement comes amid stories that cite unnamed fellow Democrats questioning whether the 89-year-old has the mental capacity to continue serving. After one such article in the San Francisco Chronicle last year, Feinstein issued a statement saying that she is “an effective representative of 40 million Californians, and the record shows that I am”.
Last year, Feinstein told the Washington Post that he would decline to run for Senate president pro tempore, and the following month, he seemed to forget that he had turned down the opportunity.
In his 30 years in the Senate, Feinstein has served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, fought for LGBTQ+ rights and the legalization of gay marriage, and focused on improving the Golden State’s water infrastructure.
Kathryn Watson
